Well it was a fun race- I didn’t run as well as I probably should have, but I finished in 2nd overall and 1st Masters with a time of 17:10.  It was a good realization of how different a 5k race is from a 10k for an older runner. I did a good 3.5 mile warm up, but on a cold day I didn’t get as warm as I needed.  At a mile, I ran along with them and by about a mile  and a half I led the race up until the last 100 meters, when  I was outrun at the end by I think a 24 year old track girl.  But I had a great time at the race, my body felt pretty good and my feet felt great through the race.  After the race, I was asked to be the first athlete to go through the new Elite Athlete Lab opening in June of this year. I thought that was pretty cool, and will try to sneak in my flip camera to film it!

I think my next big race is the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th here in Atlanta. Its one I look forward to every year and am hoping to be in good enough shape to place well.

Here are some pictures taken from the Atlanta Women’s 5k

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Here is the Starting Line of the race

And the finish line

Before the Atlanta Women’s 5k on Saturday, I’ll take my workouts a little easier starting Thursday. I’m nervous for the race, this is my first race since the Bermuda 10k in January.  Today’s workout consists of a 3 mile warm up, then 4 fast quarters followed by a long warm-down. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get in 12 miles, then starting Thursday I’ll drop it down to 9 mile.

I’ve got the Atlanta Women’s 5k coming up this weekend. I’m really out of shape and don’t feel like I’ll be running at the top of my game. I think if I can stay close to runners the majority of the race, I should be able to beat them in the end. Either way, I’m hoping to win the Masters Division.

Today’s run: a 3 mile warm-up with Jim, then 16 quarters- we averaged :75 or :78 seconds per quarter.  We didn’t run on the track and I felt like I was on an obstacle course, I had to dodge a squirrel that ran in front of me.  I’m just glad its over…then I did a 5 mile warm-down for a total of 12 miles.  My legs felt pretty well.  I’m probably more in shape than I think I am- I feel a little sloppy because I’m in a worse shape now than I have been in a while.

Finished my run, stopped by the house to get Katie’s clothes then left the house and forgot to get some type carbohydrates to eat and now I’m in a dilemma… I could eat some of the Goldfish in the back of the car, or hold off eating until after Pilates. The risk of not eating enough carbohydrates within 15 minutes after a hard run is probably the biggest mistake athletes make, so I ate the goldfish.

If you don’t refill your body with carbs after a hard run, you’ll feel it the next day- your muscles will be soar and the microscopic rips and tears that went into them won’t be repaired, so you’re basically creating damage on top of damage by running again the next day. On top of that, your chance of injury increases exponentially… I’ve found myself eating donuts as a last resort, but I can’t stress enough how critical it is.

The big thing for working out for me, is resetting your metabolism and getting a metabolic rate high enough so you’re burning calories all the time, regardless of when you workout. Its no different for anyone who works out- you’ve got to refuel your body. I’m religious about doing my sports drinks before and after- I do the Ultragen or Gatorade endurance before, and I always do the Ultragen after.

But after a hard workout, any carbs are good carbs.. just grab them and eat them especially if they have salt. You can refuel and take in a little more salt. Remember if you’re working out over an hour, you’ll probably need additional salt- this helps make everything workout.